The present invention relates generally to a sheath or scabbard for carrying a tool mechanism and is specifically directed to a scabbard for carrying an expandable tactical baton about a leg for use by law enforcement personnel. More particularly, the present invention relates to a scabbard for carrying an expandable tactical police baton around the lower leg of a user in a conveniently concealable and secure manner. The scabbard allows the baton to be quickly and easily released for use when the need arises.
Law enforcement and security personnel often desire or are required to carry weapons of intermediate force with them at all times, such as a nightstick or baton. The intermediate force weapon of choice, since its advent in the late 1980""s, has been an expandable baton now generally known as the ASP(copyright) Tactical Baton manufactured by Armament Systems and Procedures, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. The expandable baton is preferred to a conventional one-piece hardwood baton, or nightstick, because it is convenient to carry and because tubular weapons (such as an expandable baton) are handle-heavy, as opposed to heavy at the striking end, and therefore easier to control.
The ASP(copyright) Tactical Baton is best described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,297, incorporated herein in its entirety. The expandable baton of the ""297 patent is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in retracted and expanded forms respectively. The baton 10 is constructed of a series of telescoping heat-treatable alloy steel coaxial tubes having successively decreasing diameters that allow for nesting of each section in the next larger section. The baton includes a main section 12 that serves as the handle 9, and which is generally covered by a foam padding 2 or other suitable gripping material to provide a comfortable and secure grip. The back end 5 of the main section 12 is threaded to receive an end cap 4. The end cap 4 may further include a snap element 58, such as the male element shown in FIG. 1C, designed to cooperate with a complimentary snap element thereby providing for a means of connecting the baton with other equipment. Opposite the threaded back end 5, the baton includes a smooth knob 18, which allows the baton 10 to be used for control or defense with a reduced risk of inflicting serious or permanent injury.
Expandable batons come in a variety of sizes, usually consisting of three telescoping sections. In the retracted position, an expandable baton is just more than one third the extended length. In order for an expandable baton to be of maximum utility to the officer or other baton user, it should be able to be carried by the officer at all times while on duty, and without interfering with the mobility of the officer when it is not needed. The baton must be able to be deployed by the officer quickly whenever needed (i.e., virtually immediately).
Scabbards can be used to enable the efficient use and transport of a baton. The scabbard or sheath should allow for a wide range of deployment or withdrawal directions that may be required when in pursuit or subduing a subject. The scabbard should secure the baton to the officer during the officer""s daily activities, such as when the officer is pursuing a subject and may be required to run, jump, climb over walls or fences, or move quickly up or down stairs and must not release the baton accidentally. The scabbard should secure the baton in a manner which allows for full body movement by the officer. It should allow the officer to comfortably carry the baton throughout the day including when the officer is standing or sitting. Further, the scabbard should secure the baton in a manner that limits noise which may undesirably disclose an officer""s position under certain situations. Still further, the baton and scabbard must not be susceptible to use by a subject during an ensuing struggle.
Conventional leg baton scabbards known for securing a baton at the lower leg have a leather strap to be wrapped around and secured about the user""s leg and a tubular leather pocket adapted to slidably receive the retracted baton and frictionally hold the stowed, retracted baton in position. The depth of such a pocket must be great enough to effectively limit the movement of the baton in horizontal directions. Scabbards incorporating such a design also require a snug fitting pocket to ensure frictional forces great enough to frictionally retain the baton during activities such as those encountered in the pursuit of a subject. The snug fitting pocket, however, has the counterproductive property of causing difficulty for the officer to remove and deploy the baton when needed. During removal of the baton the frictional forces between the baton handle and the inner wall of the pocket can cause a binding or jamming of the baton. The binding or jamming occurs because the withdrawal deviates from the axis of the tubular pocket. The jamming is exacerbated by damp or wet conditions. The inability to quickly draw the baton may compromise the safety of the law officer during their duties or may cause an officer to abandon the use of tactical batons altogether, thereby increasing the risk of the officer resorting to a higher level of force weapon.
Many conventional scabbards have a backing of sheep skin that is prone to matting under moist or wet conditions, such as from the user""s perspiration. When the backing becomes matted, the secure fit to the user""s leg is compromised and the scabbard may become loose. Loosening of the scabbard may cause the baton""s positioning with respect to the wearer""s leg to shift, often without prior notice, and thereby impede the quick and easy deployment of the baton. A loosened scabbard also exacerbates the jamming or binding during withdrawal as discussed above.
The scabbard of the present invention is worn about the lower leg, such that the baton may easily be concealed by a trouser leg or other clothing when not in use. The scabbard is adjustable to accommodate different sized officers, and adapts to either right-handed of left-handed users. The scabbard includes a backing of a pre-compacted felt material that is resistant to matting under damp or wet conditions and therefore provides for a secure attachment to the user.
The scabbard of the present invention is adapted to be used with many sizes of batons. It is adapted to provide quick, deliberate release of the baton by an officer in many directions and in wet or damp conditions. The scabbard preferably has a release mechanism which inhibits unwanted release during a struggle with a subject or during pursuit of a subject.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following summary, description, drawings and appended claims.
A baton scabbard for carrying a baton on the lower leg of a user such that the baton may easily be released from the scabbard and placed into use. The scabbard includes a body portion and a retainer assembly. The body portion includes an upper edge and a lower edge and is adapted to be coupled to a user""s leg. The body may include a first end and a second end, the first end having a means for being fastened to a second end. The second end includes a means for cooperating with the fastening means of the first end to securably fasten the body portion to a user""s leg. The retainer assembly may be affixed to the body portion and is adapted to retain an expandable tactical baton. The retainer assembly includes a retainer member and a support member. The retainer member is adapted to releasably encircle the baton to limit the horizontal movement of the baton. Preferably, the retainer member includes a first flap and a second flap, the first flap overlapping the second flap and adapted to be releasably fastened to the second flap. Preferably, the flaps have a release mechanism which inhibits unwanted release of the flaps from the baton. The support member is positioned at a lower end of the retainer assembly and is adapted to releasably receive an end portion of the handle of the baton and thereby vertically support the baton, whereby the baton is secured to the user""s lower leg in a convenient and quickly releasable manner.